Witnesses describe punch blamed for referee's death

Jul. 30, 2014
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This undated file photo provided by the Livonia Police Department in Livonia, Mich., shows Baseel Abdul-Amir Saad, a Detroit-area soccer player who is accused of killing soccer referee John Bieniewicz with a punch to his neck. / AP

by Eric D. Lawrence, USA TODAY Sports

by Eric D. Lawrence, USA TODAY Sports

The punch blamed for the death of a Livonia soccer referee apparently wasn't the first one that the man charged in the killing has thrown during a game.

The revelation came as Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Raj Prasad argued in favor of including evidence of a 2005 assault in the preliminary examination of Bassel Abdul-Amir Saad, 36, of Dearborn, who is accused of punching referee John Bieniewicz.

Bieniewicz, a 44-year-old father of two from Westland, died of his injuries two days after the June 29 attack.

Prasad said in 2005, Saad punched another player numerous times in the back of the head.

But defense attorney Ali Hammoud of Dearborn argued that the information is not appropriate to include at this stage. He called the prosecution's case for second-degree murder "extremely weak."

"Judge, they're throwing everything at the wall and seeing if it sticks," Hammoud said. "It shouldn't be allowed. â?¦ No one should hear the prior bad acts of my client from nine years ago."

Judge Kathleen McCann agreed, and the evidence will not be included during the preliminary examination, which is expected to wrap up Thursday in 16th District Court in Livonia. McCann will decide if the case moves to Wayne County Circuit Court.

Four people testified today - three witnesses who were playing in the adult soccer game at Mies Park and a Livonia police officer. Throughout most of the hearing, Saad, who is being held in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of $1-million bail on a second-degree murder charge, sat with his head down, occasionally wiping his eyes and face.

Much of the testimony dealt with various descriptions of the assault, with all three witnesses, including one from Saad's team, saying they watched Saad swing at Bieniewicz.

But the officer, Dennis Burklow, testified about a photo that he was asked to enhance. The photo, Burklow said, showed Saad sitting in a jeep after the attack with his arm and upward-pointing middle finger extended toward the site of where Bieniewicz lay unconscious.

Witnesses said a skirmish broke out between the two sides after the assault, and then Saad took off his jersey and headed to the parking lot.

The attack came during the second half of an adult soccer game that witness Scott Herkes described as a little "chippier" than most because of some blatantly aggressive fouls earlier. Authorities said Bieniewicz was about to eject Saad from the game, which was tied with no score, because Saad, who had already received a yellow warning card, was complaining about a call.

Witness Dr. Jamal Saleh, a member of Saad's team, described how Bieniewicz "trotted" to Saad as he headed toward the sideline. As Bieniewicz tried to pull a red card from his pocket, which would mean Saad's ejection, Saad turned toward Bieniewicz and made a "sort of roundhouse swing," striking him.

Saleh said he did not think Bieniewicz saw the punch coming before he fell to the ground. Saleh came to render aid as the referee lay with his hands toward his chest, still clutching the red card.

"I was just saying, 'Wake up, buddy, you're gonna be OK.' â?¦ I noticed that he started to turn a little bit blue," and began performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Saleh said. Bieniewicz never regained consciousness, he said.

During questioning by Hammoud, Saleh noted that it was his understanding that in order to avoid confrontations, referees usually do not approach players they are about to eject.

Witness Joseph Cosenza said he saw Saad take two steps and then swing at Bieniewicz, who fell straight back.

"I saw him connect about the jaw line," Cosenza said.

Hammoud questioned Cosenza extensively about the specific location, with McCann eventually weighing in, saying "he could not see exactly where (the punch) landed and it landed on the side of his face."

Cosenza noted that he was familiar with Bieniewicz as a referee, saying he "was always really good at explaining the calls he did."

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